Trump Plans Nadella Award Amid Microsoft Visa Suspension

President Donald Trump planned to honor Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and five other technology leaders at a White House science and innovation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Washington. Nadella and Michael Dell were set to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation; Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su the National Medal of Science. Five of the six honorees are immigrants. Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson, said, "These recipients are helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation." Vice President JD Vance announced Microsoft's suspension from a program allowing companies to seek green cards for H-1B visa holders, acting as head of a fraud task force. Vance said Microsoft fired 6,000 U.S. workers last year while obtaining 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards. "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers," Vance said. He also said, "You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants." Microsoft had not commented. Vance said Stanford and MIT should be investigated for visa fraud. The honorees attended a state dinner for Xi Jinping; Dell met in the Oval Office Wednesday on Trump Accounts.